Dusty's Managerial Gaffes 2013 Season

[Redsfan1507]

Bailey has improved several aspects if his game- and pitching from the stretch is one. He's come farther with finishing his pitches, especially tightening the breaking ball. He's getting a little more run on the fastball, but still throws flatter from the stretch. IMO, his boggest improvement from the stretch is that he does it less now- he's walking fewer guys. He still doesn't hold runners well, but might be a little quicker to the plate.

In my perfect baseball world, the running game is one of the biggest tools to making the bad guys do things they don't want to do, including throwing too many fastballs to power hitters. THREATS of steals, bunts and hit and runs can be effective tools too, but only if you actually use them occasionally. Dusty doesn't often... Making him easy to counter. His only tool is to stand and hit. His elementary mistakes in fundamental run manufacturing only reinforce in inability to beat anyone that way. The talent has outgrown Dusty here, but still isn't talented enough to get to the next level making up for Dusty's limitations. It's unfortunate.

 

[JohnU]

Long-term, I don't think the Reds dugout staff has a good answer for the fact that Latos is still only a No. 2 starter in the rotation. Dusty didn't manage the bullpen very well over the last week, IMO ... left Chapman to rust on the bench and -- when he was needed, he looked awful. So the Brewers today used their closer in a lost cause because he needs the work.

This could be Price and Porky Lopez calling those shots.

 

[chico ruiz]

exactly 1507. that is precisely what i've observed of 'he with the unfortunate first name.' john, could you elaborate a little bit on the above latos / staff comment? not sure i'm smelling what you're cooking there.

 

[eburg5000]

As far as having Cozart bunt. Cozart is a number 8 hitter batting 2nd. Probably not going to get a hit, and to much of a swingalcoholic to walk. So I guess in Dusty's world. Cozart bunts. to stay out of the DP.

 

[JohnU]

Latos is a very good pitcher but he is still very intense. Despite having an enormous lead yesterday, he showed signs of stress. He's the best we have now but he's better served as as a No. 2. That isn't a measurable comment and I don't have any statistical data to support that belief. It's what I observe.

 

[Redsfan1507]

I give Dusty a lot of criticism, but I try to stick to mistakes in his math that result in the wrong answer. If Dusty can win consistently with consistently poor hitting from the 2 spot in the lineup, who can complain about results ? I think there is a fine line between a manager that has patience and faith ins slumping guy, and a manager that can't find the light switch in the dark ( or isn't looking for one). Cueto is due back this week, and Heisey isn't far behind him... Meaning 2 guys are going elsewhere.

Lutz looks like he's on a good roll, and has power ( and minor league options). Robinson is the fastest guy on the team and has the best glove in the OF, Paul has been the best PH. Cingrani is the only LHSP on the team. Dusty and Walt have some decisions to make, and I don't have a clue how they think. It will be interesting.

 

[chico ruiz]

more, latos had a bad outing. end of story. also, dusty is managing for the long haul of a 162 game season. he's doing what he did last year, and not burning out one reliever he trusts. every reliever, with the exception of the earlier injured marshall, has pitched between 14 & 19 innings. 5 of them approximately 17 innings each. dusty might deserve a little credit here. marshall DL'd, lecure was tweaked, ondrusek with the mysterious shoulder fatigue, and simon got WBC'd. reds got through all that in good shape.

 

[JohnU]

I suppose you can manage 162, one game at a time. The objective is to win the series, IMHO ... and the Cards are doing that, taking 2 out of 3. The Reds are more-or-less-kinda-sorta doing that at home. But I think you have to manage your way through every game that you can win and learn to waste people in games you can't win. The trick is to know the moment that is going to occur.

My complaint on the Leake decision was that was a game that was still winnable and gambling on the starter in the 8th was foolish. Had that worked out, fine. The odds of it working out weren't so great.

The other problem is the modern reliance on every team doing the same thing. It's why Chapman sits for 10 days and is suddenly needed three days in a row. We use our closer (as most teams do) only in "save" situations. I think a light went on with Sunday's game -- give Chapman an inning in a medium-stress situation that isn't a save opportunity.

The odds are better he won't be needed as often in Miami so he probably won't pitch (or so it would seem) more than once. The man has to pitch or he's like he was on Friday.

Simon appears to be able to sit for 6 days and still have good stuff. LeCure is fairly versatile too. Broxton is just flaky. Ondrusek is a coin toss. Marshall probably can pitch an inning every day of the week. Hoover can go 3 days a week and give the same results.

Again, intelligent use of a bullpen depends on situations -- and this team needs to score early and with some degree of consistency. When that happens, the process is easy enough even for me to manage.

 

[WvuDieHard]

Given props where props are due in this thread. Dusteroo made a good managerial move last night by pulling Leake after 6 2/3 for the Loogy Marshall. Dusteromus didn't wait like he did the last time so Leake could get shelled in the late innings. Maybe Dusteroo is learning a little.......doubt it but a good managerial move.

 

[JohnU]

I agree. Leake seems to lose confidence when one or more pitches start to escape him. Until he gets past that, he's a filler pitcher. It's a shame. He's that close to being very effective. You could tell with the 7th inning that his pitches were tailing on him. Dusty could have been Dusty and let him finish the inning, as if stats matter more than wins.

 

[Redsfan1507]

It's sad when you can recognize a single good move by a manager. It's his job. Wish he'd do it correctly more often.

As I said last year after 97 wins, you can't argue with success. You can, but you won't win the argument. After the playoffs though, a blind man could see how a single gaffe a game can cost you, and how most people don't notice until you lose...

Glad the Reds are making strides at closing the gap, but still not confident the tactics will be as effective against a team talented enough to be a playoff team. Hope so.

 

[JohnU]

Beating the Fish is like outrunning your 5-year-old grandson. He's quick, you're cautious but in the end, the kid loses. Miami will be lucky to win 40 games this year. They are the team you hate to play because you never want to lose to them. Even if Leake had folded, in extra innings, the Fish would just need to get lucky.

Give a team the chance to get lucky and they often do, as St. Lousy is proving over and over again. That established, it pays to play smart. Dusty needs to be better than once a week at that.

 

[pursifull14]

How about not bunting Izturis tonight with runners on 1st and 2nd with no one out in a tie game? Both the guys on TV thought the bunt was coming... but it never did. ended up costing the Reds a run.

 

[JohnU]

Choo on base at least 3 times.
Votto on base at least 3 times.
Izturis on base 0 times in 5 tries.

Just because he's the f**king shortstop doesn't mean he has to bat second in the order, dipstick.

Yeah, really .... the bunt was sooooooooooooooo obvious there. We got a popup from a .172 hitter.

 

[WvuDieHard]

With the 2 hole about as productive as the ovulation of a 70 year grandmother, why wouldn't you bunt in that situation? The most disturbing thing here is the continual batting of the SS in the 2 hole. Lutz, Paul or Robinson would be much more effective hitters in that position. What a hard headed idiot Dustmop can be. This is kind of crap that beats you in a short playoff series.

 

[JohnU]

It also beats you in a season-long pennant race. Last I saw, St. Lousy was doing all right.

 

[Redsfan1507]

Hey, if nothing else, Dusty is consistent, or stubborn, depending on your perspective. That means he's also predictable...which might shed some light on why he gets embarrassed in post season so frequently. Every playoff team is tougher by definition, and predictable flaws from the lineup card thru the last out, just make Dusty's teams odds longer. His "tactical" arguments are weak, and frequently unfounded fundamentally. Players that get PT, like Dusty, IMO, because he's easy, if you can trade not being asked to do little things like bunt, steal, hit behind the runner, or take normal advantage of matchups, intelligent defensive alignments, or lineup protection for keeping your job when you suck, and taking all the blame. Everyone has faults, but I've never seen Dusty admit one. In not a fan.

 

[JohnU]

Derrick Robinson, hitting 2nd in this order, turns this team into an instant contender. Robinson is NOT a great hitter but he has reasons to want to make this team. He's fast, won't DP much ... will strike out some, won't hit one out of the park, but will be on first base more than our oh-fers. Being on first base and fast somehow makes me smile.

 

[ckhokie]

I am not in Cincy anymore. What is the local media saying about Dusty? Is Paul Daugherty still hanging from his nuts? The 2-hole hitting is a joke.

Stuff like this happens all the time and literally loses us games. They Dusty backers are quick to defend how long of a season it is, but then refuse to recognize how many division races come down to the last couple games of the year.

 

[Redsfan1507]

Between the people who feel sorry for Dusty, the Reds media who are forbidden from criticizing him, and the people either in the business of propagating racism, or the ones who feel subjected by it( or suggestion of it), there aren't that many openly critical statements about Dusty. After all, how many black managers are there? A lot fewer than owners, for sure...and MLB is keenly aware of this. It doesn't harm Dusty, in fact it IMO, has protected him from being criticized and fired for offenses that have meant the end if the road for non- minority managers. It's all supposition, and Dusty's longevity is often sited as evidence of his "skill", because quite frankly, that and his " intangibles" like being well liked and promoting good chemistry are easier methods to defend him with than more tangible metrics. You will hear he's 17th on the all time win list, but never that he's 18th on the lost list too. His career win pct. is above .500 but isn't one that will get a team in the playoffs often, and his post season record is unimpressive. There are worse managers, and there are also better ones... but no better minority ones with 1600 wins. He's MLB's Afirmative Action defense.